Former owner of Century 21 Music City gets 4 months in fraud

Sep. 14, 2013

Written by

Quint Qualls

The Tennessean

A Mt. Juliet woman was sentenced Friday in federal court in Nashville to four months in prison after pleading guilty to defrauding two investors and misappropriating their money.

According to the plea agreement, Debbie C. Foust, 60, former real estate broker and owner of Century 21 Music City, acknowledged that she deposited $170,000 to multiple personal bank accounts, converting a $200,000 check wired from New York investors.

“I lost friends and clients, but most of all I lost me,” said a tearful Foust.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge William J. Haynes Jr. sentenced Foust to a much lighter penalty than requested by Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Abely after she pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering.

“The sentence must be tailored to the defendant,” Haynes said after the sentencing. “I try to consider the realities of the effect of the sentence.”

Abely and the U.S. Attorney’s Office originally called for a sentencing of 21 to 27 months in prison but issued a revised sentencing memo late Thursday asking for 12 months in prison.

Foust’s lighter sentence was issued as a result of her full financial compensation of the victim. She lost her real estate license and now lacks the means to make a living, the defendant’s lawyer, Patrick McNally, said.

“I haven’t seen one of these cases with full restitution,” Haynes said.

No fine was issued to the defendant because she lacks the resources to pay it, Haynes said.

After her incarceration, Foust is required to serve one year of supervised release, four months of which must be spent as home detention.

Quint Qualls is a reporter with Seigenthaler News Service–MTSU. He can be reached at qqq1991@yahoo.com.